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New York Times Publishes Tuggle ’14 Letter

Studying in India for the fall 2012 semester, Anderson Tuggle ’14 couldn’t have anticipated that the research in which he was engaged would have such relevance months later. Tuggle, who studied India’s Mid-day Meal program and the role of parents, teachers, and local institutions in providing meals, referenced this research in a New York Times letter to the editor. Published on July 20, the letter was in response to the reported deaths of 22 children in India after they ate contaminated lunches.

In his research paper, he concluded that, “giving parents opportunities to meaningfully participate and making school data more accessible will be necessary for not only the betterment of MDMS, but for the improvement of India’s public education system writ large.” The paper was titled “‘A Place for the Grassroots’: Examining the Role of Community Participation and Local Governance in Providing Mid-Day Meals in Lucknow District, Uttar Pradesh.”

In his letter to the Times Tuggle affirmed his support for the program: “Given the growing success I saw that the free school lunches were having, I worry that this tragedy could become an even greater tragedy if Bihar’s deaths cause Indian parents to lose trust in nonfamilial institutions and decide that forgoing food in the afternoon is better for their children than eating this necessary meal. With the continuing problem of child malnutrition, innovative programs like this one will be needed for India to overcome its myriad social issues." Tuggle's letter also appeared on the Pakistan News site.